San Francisco, Calif. -- Nokia launched the Preminet solution, a major worldwide initiative designed to streamline the distribution process for innovative and fully certified mobile content and applications. Created to satisfy the needs of the entire mobile software value chain, Preminet sources premier Java and Symbian OS software from leading developers and content aggregators around the globe to give operators a master catalog of applications, games and other mobile content. It also offers operators a complete solution for delivery, billing and revenue distribution, providing an end-to-end, operator-brandable platform for launching new applications and services to consumers.

Consisting of a master catalog, a service delivery platform and an optional innovative client application, Preminet provides a turnkey solution that initially is available as a hosted offering by Nokia. Preminet is designed to integrate easily into existing systems, including content delivery gateways, authentication systems and billing platforms. To maximize consumer uptake of games, applications and other content, the flexible, operator-brandable client application works side-by-side with an operator's other discovery methods (WAP, SMS and Web) to let end users find, sample, download and securely pay for mobile software.

"Until now, each operator has been responsible for maintaining hundreds of relationships with individual Java and Symbian OS developers and sourcing, and testing each application before bringing them to the end-user," said Lee Epting, vice president, Forum Nokia. "With Preminet, we now provide a single source for operators to acquire a comprehensive range of industry certified content, applications and services, and a complete platform for managing distribution to their customers. Operators now have the ability to launch a differentiated service offering in a very simple manner without major investment."

Preminet helps content aggregators and developers, including the 1.6 million members of Forum Nokia - the world's largest wireless developer community - quickly and easily make more money from their Java and Symbian OS software by providing a single channel to access the wireless industry's largest addressable market. Java is the leading platform for mobile software worldwide, with over 350 million Java technology-enabled handsets in the marketplace as of June 2004, while Symbian OS is the most popular smartphone operating system in the world, running over two-thirds of the world's smartphones. Analyst firm Ovum further expects that within three years, annual shipments of Symbian OS smartphones will top 100 million per year, while the total number of Java-enabled phones in the market will be over 1.5 billion. Preminet is also air interface agnostic and works across GSM, CDMA and other types of cellular networks.

All of the games and other applications in Preminet are tested under the industry-wide Java Verified Program(TM) and Symbian Signed testing and certification initiatives. Java Verified and Symbian Signed were launched earlier this year and are supported by a broad coalition of mobile operators, handset vendors and other companies, including Sun Microsystems and Symbian, respectively. Screenshots, icons, content guidelines and documentation for each application are pre-certified, as well, assuring operators that every application is completely market-ready.

Applications and content which pass certification and are accepted into the Preminet Master Catalog will instantly be available to mobile operators around the world through a single channel. Operators may pick and choose the applications they want from the catalog, and present them in their branded portal together with applications they source elsewhere. The catalog will feature the best applications from the global community of developers supported by Forum Nokia, including members of Forum Nokia PRO, the service for advanced developer companies that delivers premium levels of technical, business development and marketing support. Preminet will also include premium branded content offerings.